DIY Floating Shelves

13 Materials
$200
1 Day
Medium

How to build simple floating shelves for your home - this project will produce gorgeous floating shelves that will look professional! The bonus? They're super easy to make yourself! You can also click here to find my tips for how to style your shelving once you get it hung!

After measuring your space and deciding on the sizing of your shelves, start by cutting your boards down to the appropriate size. You'll want two pieces for the top and bottom (I recommend using 1X12 pine), then a piece for the front of the shelf (cut to match the length of the shelves) and two for the sides (which will be cut to match the depth of the shelves).


Once all of your cuts are made, use your table saw to miter the all edges of the boards except the edge that will sit against the wall. This will allow you to create shelves with no visible end grain.


Lay them all out as shown above and tape the seams together - the painter's tape will act as a clamp to hold things in place while the glue dries!


**NOTE: For further details on this process, please see the full blog post! It's a bit complicated to explain in a brief format!

Once you've taped all of the seams, flip the entire thing over and apply glue in the mitered edges. Fold the pieces up to create a box (it will be open in the back) and tape the outside to hold it in place.

After the shelves have fully dried, thoroughly sand them and apply stain. I used my paint sprayer to apply it.

Now, you're ready to hang them! Use 1X2 boards to build a frame as seen above to act as the support for the shelves. You'll attach this to the wall and then slide the shelves right over it.

After hanging your supports on the wall (be sure to drill directly into studs!), slide the shelves on top and nail them into place. Then, fill them up!


For more details on this project, see the full blog post. It has many more pictures and details!

Resources for this project:
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Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  2 questions
  • Sue Sue on Nov 28, 2018

    Think your supports are 2X2s, not 1X2s? Look very nice!

  • Marie DiChiara Marie DiChiara on Dec 05, 2018

    i don’t have a mitre saw. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you😊

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  • LNIX LNIX on Dec 01, 2019

    Love the geometric wooden art piece next to the shelves! Is this your work also? Are general plans available?

  • Jim Cox Jim Cox on Jan 16, 2021

    The blog visit is required - so many steps left out here

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